In 1970, 10 local boards came together as the Peel County Board of Education. In 1969, the board served a community of a quarter million residents—20 per cent of today's population. The newly formed Peel County Board had 50,000 students in 114 schools and an operating budget of $41 million. (2009 annual report)

In 1973, the name changed to the Peel Board of Education. The current name, Peel District School Board, was approved in 1998.

On September 1, 2006, the school board announced that on Wednesday September 6, 2006, would launch a new website in 25 languages, all spoken in the Peel Region, to help parents who have a first language other than English.[8]

The Peel board unveiled its current logo in September 2005. In November, 2003, the board approved the creation of the Picture the Future committee—a cross section of staff and trustees—to oversee the creation of the first new logo since 1969. The committee worked with design firm Hambly and Woolley Inc, selected through a competitive RFP process, to develop a new visual identity for approval by the board. The design was based on the feedback from over 500 people including staff, students, parents, representatives of faith and culture communities and unions and federations.[9]

In 2009, the Peel board opened three We Welcome the World Centres, located in Brampton, Malton, and Mississauga. The centres help newcomer families with school-aged children register for school and get settled in Canada. Welcome Centre staff provide assistance and information about free services in many languages.[10]

We Welcome the World Centres are open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the year. Appointments can be made by calling 905-366-8791 or (toll free) 1-800-668-1146. The centres are funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Through a program called Faith Forward, the Peel board provides resources to help broaden awareness of a wide range of faiths, cultures and religious celebrations. These resources include a Holy Days and Holidays calendar, poster series, resource guide, lesson plans and training. The board’s direction is any celebrations of faith and culture need to be inclusive of all students and staff.[11]

The board acknowledges each individual’s right to follow, or not to follow, religious beliefs and practices free from discriminatory or harassing behaviour and will take all reasonable steps to provide religious accommodations to staff and students. Examples of accommodations are observation of major holy days, dietary requirements, religious attire, and space for private prayer or rituals.

The Peel board believes the work of making all staff feel welcomed and included goes beyond hiring. Its Co-accountable Model project supports diversity across all employee groups. At the core of the project is the belief that any work at real inclusion must actively involve the people inside and outside the organization in a new kind of partnership—one in which accountability for success is shared.

Among Canadian school districts, the Peel board has among the most ethnically and culturally diverse. The Peel District School Board enacted procedures and policies intended to accept and embrace various cultures and ethnic groups, and Brian Woodland, the school board's director of communications, said that the district embraces various religions.[13] The school board alters curricula to accommodate students of different backgrounds; for instance, if students from a religious background or culture are forbidden from drawing people, the school will alter the art curriculum. Peel was among the first Canadian school boards to permit students to wear kirpans to classes. The school board does not allow religious leaders to lead prayer sessions within schools.[13]

The Peel board offers a variety of adult programs during the day, at night and on weekends.[14] Programs include credit programs to help adults complete their secondary school diploma, adult ESL programs to help adults develop and refine their English language skills, and literacy and basic skills courses to help adults upgrade specific skills.

The board received media attention in 2011 for its Foreign-Trained Teacher course, a course designed to help new Canadians enter the teacher profession.[15]

The Peel board also offers International Language Programs[16] on weekends for school-aged students. At the secondary level, students can earn credits towards their secondary school diploma. Students also have access to night and summer school, literacy and math support, and online school.[17]

The Peel board’s Peel Alternative School (PAS) offers a variety of alternative programs designed with the individual needs of students in mind. Programs include:

Foundations Program The Foundations program is for students in at least their third year of high school who have not successfully completed grades 9 and 10. Students benefit from small class sizes and individual attention while they take up to three credits per semester.

Fresh Start Suspension and Expulsion Programs Students under suspension or expulsion from a Peel board school who are motivated to change their behaviour can attend Fresh Start. Through the programs, students continue academic studies while learning the skills required to be successful in school, in relationships and in the community.

Senior Elementary, Intermediate and Senior Alternative Programs These programs are designed for students who are at risk of dropping out of school. Through smaller classes and more individual attention, students develop improved social skills and attitudes towards school and society.

Supervised Alternative Learning (SAL) SAL is a program for students aged 14 to 17 who, for a variety of reasons, are at risk of leaving school early. A SAL Plan is created to help students progress towards obtaining their Ontario Secondary School Diploma or achieving other educational and personal goals.

Temporary External Learning Link (TELL) The TELL Program is designed for students in at least their third year of high school. These students typically have not acquired the credit accumulation of their peers and require a flexible schedule due to family or work commitments.

Teen Education and Motherhood Program (TEAM) The TEAM Program is for students between 14 and 20, in grades 9 to 12, who are pregnant or who have a child. The academic program is individualized to meet each student’s needs. There is a focus on parenting skills, and students participate in weekly workshops presented by a Peel Public Health nurse.

PAS has three main campuses, as well as satellite locations throughout the Peel region. For more information about alternative programs in the Peel board, call 905-890-1010 (or 1-800-668-1146) ext. 2429, or speak to a Peel board guidance counsellor.

Regional programs start in grades 6, 7 and 9. Students in regional programs still complete all of the requirements of the Ontario curriculum, but there is an increased focus on an area of interest. Information nights take place throughout the fall for students registering to start the program the following September. Programs include:

French immersion begins in grade 1 and extended French begins in grade 7. Registration for both programs takes place in January. The Peel board provides on-line information for parents on how to decide whether French immersion is right for their child and other information about French learning.[18]

Specialist High Skills Major programs start in grade 11 and allow students to focus their learning on a specific economic sector, while meeting the requirements to graduate from secondary school. Students gain sector-recognized certification and career-relevant training. The programs support the transition after graduation to apprenticeship training, college, university or the workplace. Peel board schools offer Specialist High Skills Major programs in the following areas:

Business and entrepreneurial studies

Construction

Environment

Health and wellness

Hospitality and tourism

Information and communications technology

Justice, community safety and emergency services

Manufacturing

Sports

Transportation

Arts

More information about the Peel board’s Specialist High Skill Major programs is available at www.makingmyway.ca.

The Peel District School Board runs the IELC Regional Enhanced Program, a gifted education program, for students defined as having "an unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth and breadth beyond those normally provided in the regular school programme to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated."[19]